West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-02
ORDERED OUT OF FRANCE.

With the Franco Prussian war
and the Commune the star of Cora's
destiny paled; and as she was grow
inc TO be an oldish woman by this
time, it never again recovered its
brilliancy. Astronomically speak
ing, she reached the point of her
highest ascension simultaneously
with the empire; that is to-.say, in
1867, the exhibition year. 1t was
in this year that she played Cupid
in the opera Of "Orphee aux En-
fers," dressing the part expensively,
tastefully, but not excessively, in a
zone AMI necklace of diamonds. AZ
ter the wreck of the empire Cora re-
turned to Paris-having been tenn
porarily domiciled IN London-and
gathered together the remnant of
her court. But it was a dark time
in Paris; she was growing old; her
titled friends no longer were numer
Gus, and the few left to her were far
less friendly than of yore. But she
was rich, for, with commendable
prudence, she had garnered her har-
vest while the sun still shone. I'm
der this combination Of circumstan-
ces the time seemed favorable for her
turning devote. However, young
Duval-the rich proprietor of the
MANY cheap eating-houses in Paris
founded by the worthy butcher, his
father-appeared upon the scene,
and his plant Expressed frequently
and always in four figures) was
needed. All Paris laughed at this
conquest that the Industrious Cora
had made in the youth of her old
age; and Cora laughed too, for the
francs that she was winning were
plentiful and real. When the francs
were all gone she dropped the butch
er's son as she would have dropped
an orange that she had squeezed
dry; the butchers son being refused
admission to her apartment, inconti-
nently shot himself upon the thresh-
old. This was in Christmas week,
1872. The upshot of the affair was
that Cora was ordered out of France.
She appealed to Lord Lyons for help
in vain, but after drifting about Eu
rope for a time was permitted to set
tie down in Paris again. But it was
no longer the Paris of the Due de
Mora and the Comte de Camors, and
she was obliged to raise the wind
by auctioning off her treasures,
among them the square of carpet on
which the idiotic young Duval had
stood when he made the vain at
tempt to blow out his brains. This
sale was one of the events of the day
and realized some $4,000, which
was about twice the intrinsic value
of the articles disposed of. All
Paris, that is fashionable Paris, at
tended the sale. Duchess and bour-
goise elbowed each other in frantic
efforts To obtain some article that
marked the downfall of this destroy
er of hearts and fortunes. this queen
of the demi- monde. Cora Pearl sank
from sight, and was not again heard
from until about three years ago,
when she was brought before the
courts to show cause why she should
not discharge a milliner's bill. She
has again come before the public in
a way that must carry a acertain ter
ror to the manly and indiscreet de
bauche of twenty years ago, for
Cora had the bad habit Of saving
her letters.
NOT BEAUTIFUL, But FASCINATING.
Cora was by no means a beautiful
woman, though no woman without
beauty could have accomplished the
ruin attributed to her. Her attrac-
tions were Of q coarse and sensual